Transfer-Friendly Program
Our transfer-friendly program lets you bring in up to 60 transfer credits from prior coursework or professional experience. This means you can graduate faster without sacrificing the quality of your education.
Broadening Human Horizons
UW-Stout's Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Human Development & Family Studies (HDFS) is dedicated to the study of human development and family life in which the individual, family, and community are viewed as interrelated. It is an interdisciplinary field that draws from other social sciences but has established distinct assumptions, approaches to studying families, and worldviews. A multidisciplinary approach provides students with both a broad perspective and specialized knowledge.
UW-Stout's B.S. Human Development & Family Studies has been reviewed by the National Council on Family Relations and has been recognized as an NCFR CFLE-approved program offering coursework covering the content required for the Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) designation. Graduates of NCFR CFLE-approved programs qualify to apply for the CFLE designation via an Abbreviated Application process.
100% of Graduates Are Employed or Continuing Education.
Career-Defining Curriculum
Our goal is to foster positive sensitivity to the needs of families and their members through the lenses of relationships, culture, gender, age, and life stage, among others. UW-Stout's Human Development and Family Studies program has a strong, established reputation of preparing our graduates to work in a variety of human service related areas.
Program Overview
Program Highlights
- An established and highly reputable program
- Award-winning instructors
- Applied learning opportunities
- Professional networking opportunities
- Excellent employment in the field
- Proven preparation for graduate school
Use the Request Information form to receive a program summary and learn more about the B.S. Human Development & Family Studies.
Request Information
Professional Internship Placements in Human Development & Family Studies
Take your education into industry and earn while you learn through UW-Stout’s award-winning Cooperative Education & Internship Program (CEIP) and other placements. Unlike traditional internships, our professional paid and pro bono credit-earning experiences connect you with leaders in your field, including healthcare providers, impactful non-profits, and human social services agencies, to ensure you’re set up for success long before you graduate. More than a third of Stout students accept positions after graduation with their internship employer.
Recent Internship Employers
- Boys & Girls Club of the Greater Chippewa Valley
- Caravel Autism Health
- Fernbrook Family Center
- Literacy Chippewa Valley
- Luthern Social Services
- Marshfield Clinic
- Norwood Health Center
- Positive Alternatives
Select Internship Position Titles
- Behavior Technician
- Care Coordinator Intern
- Client Services Assistant
- Counseling & Case Management Intern
- Program Lead
- Social Work Intern
Program Objectives
Upon completing the B.S. HDFS program, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate professional competence in educational, civic, and career settings.
- Integrate knowledge of family dynamics to enhance relational functioning.
- Demonstrate cultural competence, inclusive of multiple aspects and intersections of diversity within a historical and social context.
- Integrate understanding of the developmental processes in individuals across the lifespan, based on physical, social, emotional, cognitive, moral, and personality aspects within an ecological framework.
- Critique social scientific knowledge as applied to families and human development.
- Evaluate the impacts among and between societal institutions and families.
- Demonstrate personal and interpersonal growth.
- Demonstrate competent communication skills.
Our program is designed for students ranging from incoming freshmen who are beginning their professional journey to transfer students who are wishing to advance their professional opportunities. The excellent transferability of credits assists transfer students in completing their degree in a timely manner.
APPLICATION & TRANSFER INFORMATION
Application
To apply for the on-campus and online Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development and Family Studies, you need to apply to UW-Stout.
Financial Aid
Students who are attending another institution, but are planning to receive their degree from UW-Stout, may be eligible to receive aid from UW‐Stout. In these cases, UW‐Stout is considered the Home Institution and the other campus is considered the Visiting Institution.Transfer Students
Note: When filling out the application form, be sure to make a note in the student comment section that you intend to apply to the "online program."
Career Opportunities
An academic study, service learning opportunities, and experiential learning with a senior internship prepare graduates for positions in a number of areas, such as:
- Human service agencies
- Residential treatment programs and group homes
- Afterschool/youth mentoring programs
- Probation and corrections facilities
- Rehabilitation centers
- Older adult activity and living centers
- Aging and disability services
- Human resources management
- Family resource centers
- Youth summer camps
- Child care facilities
- Public/family policy and advocacy
- Research
The program also serves as an excellent foundation for graduate school in disciplines including:
- Marriage and Family Therapy
- Social Work
- Alcohol and Drug Counseling
- Mental Health Counseling
- School Counseling
- Student Personnel
- Health and Wellness
- Family Science
Program Advisory Committee
Advisory Committee Members
| James | Arenz | First-Year Advisor, Advisement Center | UW-Stout |
| Amanda | Behm | Stout Online | UW-Stout |
| Laura | Clark | Professional in the Field | Positive Alternatives |
| Kevin | Doll | Professor; Program Director, B.S. Human Development & Family Studies | UW-Stout |
| Kevin | Drzakowski | Associate Dean | UW-Stout |
| Karen | Duncansion | Almuni | UW-Stout |
| Lorraine | Garland | Professional in the Field | Arbor Place |
| Jeremy | Hernandez | Professional in the Field | Positive Alternatives |
| Daniel | Kelsey | Professor; Chair, Counseling, Rehabilitation & Human Services Department; Program Director, M.S. Rehabilitation Counseling | UW-Stout |
| Tina | Lee | Professor | UW-Stout |
| Jason | Lynn | Professional in the Field | Dunn County Human Services |
| Rylee | Madey | Student | UW-Stout |
| Candice | Maier | Associate Professor | UW-Stout |
| Brittany | Olson | Professional in the Field | Bridge to Hope |
| Jason | Schmitt | Dean, CAHS | UW-Stout |
| Bethanne | Shriner | Professor; Program Director, B.S. Human Development & Family Studies Online | UW-Stout |
| Abby | Tengwall | Career Services Specialist | UW-Stout |
